Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 20:4

"And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of Jehovah came to him, saying," — 2 Kings 20:4 (ASV)

Into the middle court. —This is the reading of some Hebrew Manuscripts, and of all the versions. The Hebrew text (city; see margin) is wrong. Before Isaiah had left the precincts of the palace, he was instructed to return. (Keil says that here, as in 2 Kings 10:25, the word rendered “city” denotes “castle,” i.e., the royal residence.)